Pulp-separator.



F, E. STRONG.

PULP SEPARATOR. APPLICATION FILED JULY z5, 1911.

Patented 11111.16, 1912.

Mv. Zewwncc/ @Wong 77W LaWM?" @www1/@meg UN 1911@ ST1/1i FREDERICK F. STRONG, OF ST. PETERSBURG, FLORIDA.

PULP-SEPARATOR.

Original application filed June 10, 1910. Serial No. 566.221.

Serial No. 640,462.

To all whom 'it lmay concern:

licy it known that l. l1`1uihuRICK F. STRONG, a citizen of the llnited States, residing at St. Petersburg, in the county of Hillsboro and State of Florida, have invented an 1mprovement in Pulp-Separators, of which the following description, in connection `with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like letters on the drawings representing like parts.

This invention relates to the making and preparation of pulp from fibrous material, being a division of my application Ser. No. 566,221 filed June 10, 1910.

The present apparatus, although, adapted to more or less general use, is particularly intended for handling such plants as are common in the southern part of the United States, whereby the rapid and economical production of commercial commodities such as crude paper pulp, raw materialv for the manufacture of artificial hard rubber or ivory and vulcanized fiber, is rendered practicable from the leaves, leaf stalks stem sheaths, trunk wood and roots of such plants and trees. The pulp having been pushed from between contiguous fibers, is delivered into the separator which constitutes the subject mat-ter of this divisional application. rl`he separator comprises means to finely comminute the plant material, gravity means for separating the chlorophyl and juices from the pulp mass, including` a receptacle containing liquid for holding the commiv nuted plant material in suspension, and a stirrer for facilitating the separation of the lighter parts from the heavier parts by gravity. In its preferred embodiment 1 provide a grinding plate in the bottom, which, in connection with the stirrer and gravity separator, produces the highly' subdivided product desired.

1n the drawings, in which l have shown a preferred embodiment of my invention, lfigure 1' is a vertical longitudinal sectional view of one form of the complete machine. parts being broken away for clearness of illustration Fig. 2 shows in enlarged front elevation one of the mechanical dissector rolls; Fig. 3 is a view partly diagrammatic showing-a projection of the drum with its successive portions laid out.I in a plane so as to exhibit their mutual rela- Speeication of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 16, 1912.

Divided and this application filed July 25.

tion; and Fig. Ll is a fragmentary plauview of the grinding scraper or pulp reducer.

1n orderthatl my invention may be better understood, l will describe the same in connection with the complete apparatus.

' The raw material, consisting of leaves and stalks and other portions of the plant. is delivered into a hopper 1 whose vertical front wall 2 and rear sloping walls aid the stalks in alining themselves endwise to be fed forward by. a spiked under feed roll et and upper fluted or grooved feed roll 5 whose journals 6 are yieldingly held at 7 with relation to the stream of liber S as the latter is fed forward to the dissector reei 9 supported on its shaft 10. The material Sprojects from the edge 11 of the bed plate and is rapidly whipped and subdivided by the coperating action of the dissector. Between the heads or ends 12 of the member 9 a series of dissector rolls l is mounted, each consisting of a series of metal disks 14 on a shaft 15 separated by spacing washers 1G larranged in staggered relation, as clearly shown in Fig. 3, where 4it will be seen that the corresponding knifelike fingers of the. successive rolls are out of longitudinal alinement with each other. Between these successive cutter members 1&3 are combs 17 held in angular adjustment on transverse rods 18, said combs having relatively wide teeth and narrow slots. the reverse of the cutters, so as to push out from between the brous portions of the plainy the pulp material. These combs are made of thin ribbon steel which yield suthciently to provide a light combing blow to cooperate with the dissector rolls or knives to whip out the subdivided material into a fringe of fibers, which fibers are bent downwardly under the edge of the tablev or platn 11, where they are pulled forward by two small rolls 19, Q0. which squeeze them together more or'less as the fibers are fed over a` supporting block 21 in position to be thoroughly brushed and fully cleaned by a brush roll 22.*An apron 23 .guides the cleaned and straightened fibers into the receptacle Q4. In working certain kinds of fiber .such as cabbage-palm leaves, saw palmetto, etc., it is desirable to cut the liber into lengths, and accordingly a steel bar or knife 95 is :uljustably supported radially in the dissector reel tlfor'this purpose. The pulp cells and debristwhich are separatedfrom the isolated fibers or fringe, are' pushed and i whipped off into the separator tank 26, be-

passing betvveen'said rolls, which juices andl pulp also fall into the ltank 26. The tissue,

, etc., collected inv the tank 26 is 'agitated in the salt Water 28 therein by a suitable stirrer 29, herein shown as 'ournaled at 30 vertically in the bottom o the receptacle.- This mechanical stirring removes -much of the microscopic chlorophyl granules, soluble pigments, and'finely divided debris, which, being light,` rise and pass through the meshes of afine Wire screen 31, and out through an outlet 32 in the side of the tub or receptacle 26, whencev it passes t0 evaporating and settling tanks for further refning in the productionof minor by-products.

or parenchyma cells more or less broken and mechanically freed from their green juice and chlorophyl, also bits of leaf cuticle and thin laminas formed ofskin cells free of chlorophyl and consistinglof nearly pure tough cellulose,'admirably adapted lfor the production ofpaper pulp. Being already in a more or less finely divided condition, they are easily reached and acted upon by any chemical agents used for refining or bleaching. When treated mechanically as thus far described, this pulp-like material is more or less bound together lby its inherent resinous constituents, which it is one object of my invention to leave in the mass whereby the pulp is to a considerable extent self-sizing. In another concurrent application, I have described and claimed the process herein partially shown, and hence I will not enter more at l'ength into a description thereof at this place. The pulp-likeportion in the solution 28 gradually settles to the bottom as it is Washed and separated by the stirrer 29, the proper depth of solution being provided by any suitable means, as through a pipe 33 in addition to the washing solution at 27. The bottom 34 of the tank 36 is provided With a series of holes 35 for the passage of the pulp, which are preferably substantially closed aty their lower end by a circular sub-bottom or scraper 36 secured at 37 to the shaft 38 which operates the stirrer. The upper surface of this scraper 36 is provided With a series of radial and preferably curved grooves or fiutings 89,' see Figs. 1 and 4, which operate to pull the pulp gently downward and outward as it settles in the holes The material left in the tub consists of bits of torn fibers, together with the pulp 85 of the foraminous bottm of the tank. It is thus further macerated and refined and finally dropped into a collecting basin 40, whence it passes through a pipe 41for its further treatment, an inlet pipe 42 being preferably provided for introducing further salt solutionl and facilitating the more rapid delivery of the pulp through the pipe 41. The finely subdivided tissue and pulpy matter which is heldin the tank in solution is vfurther Washed and separated by the me- 4Ward in a practically self-propelling stream.

It will be evident that my invention is capable of a Wide variety of mechanical embodiments Without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in theappended claims.

Having described my invention, What I j claim'as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is,

l. In an apparatus of the kind described, means to finely comminute the plant-material, gravity means for separat-ing the chlorophyl and juices from the pulp mass, in- Y cluding a receptacle containingl liquid for holding the comminuted vplant-material in suspension, and a stirrer for facilitating the separation. of the lighter parts from the heavier parts by gravity.l y Y 2.v In an apparatus of the kind described,

means to linely'comminute the plant-material, gravity means forvseparating the chlorophyl and juices from the pulp mass, including a receptacle containing liquid for holding the comminuted plant-material in suspension, and a stirrer for facilitating the separation of the lighter parts from the heavier parts by gravity, said receptacle having a foraminous bottom and a squeezing and grinding plate mounted to rotate transversely of the holes of said foraminous bottom.-

3. In an apparatus of the kind described, means to linely comminute the plant material, comprising a tank for holding the plant material in liquid suspension, said tank having a foraminous bottom, and-a ridged plate mounted to rotate on the under side of said bottom, whereby the ridges of said plate operate With a scraping action against the outlet walls of the holes iny the tankbottom to cut off and scrape away the pulp material which settles into said holes from 'the contents of the tank.

4. In an apparatus of the kind described, means to nely'comminute the plant material, comprising a tank for holding the plant .material in liquid suspension, said tank havder side of said bottom, whereby the intervening ridges between said grooves operate with a scraping action against the outlet walls of the holes in the tank-bottom to cut Off and scrape away the pulp material which settles into said holes from the contents of the tank, said scraped-off and severed, pulp material being directed to the periphery of jthe plate by said spiralgrooves and at the same time subjected to a further grinding action. j

In testimony vvhereof, I have signed my A'15 name to this spec1fication5'in the presence of tworsubscribing witnesses.

FREDERICK F. STRONG. "Witnessesz A,

WALTER ROBERTSON HOWARD,

H. E. ELLIS. 

